Promises Fulfilled

Genesis 9:13-16  "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.  It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.  The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

These pictures were taken at our new house this morning around 7 a.m., just as I was getting ready for work. If you recall, I started out the New Year with a one word "resolution" for the year...and that word was "HOPE".    At that time I had allowed myself to "hope" that God would help us work out of a difficult situation and get to a place that would enable us to finally settle down and prepare for our eventual "retirement".  Due to circumstances beyond our control, my husband was prematurely "retired" last year when his position was cut unexpectedly.  When that door closed, we were not financially prepared for such an event, and we knew that we would have to make some strategic "moves" if we were to survive.  Thus we began to pray that God would show us a reasonable and realistic solution to our dilemma. (An open window?) The primary goal was to find more affordable housing in which we could actually afford to live when we are fully retired and both living on social security (hopefully if it is still available).

Miraculously, very soon after declaring my "one word resolution" of HOPE for the New Year, God did in fact lead us to that "open window", and He divinely led us to people who held the door wide open for us to enter into not only a new home (new to us) that met the criteria for our future, but also to a new life...a community of friendly, welcoming, loving people who did so much more for us than just provide us with a house to live in...they have also given us a promise of future fellowship and friendship beyond our greatest expectations. 

So the rainbow in the clouds this morning represented a promise fulfilled...hope restored...answered prayer.  My husband and I both stood in the open doorway of our new home and said a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the great things He has done...both now, and in the future.  Our hearts are full.  We have even greater HOPE now than we had before.   Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

By the way, I think it is appropriate that this is the first post I have written in our new home.  There will be many more to come...but I love that it has started out this way!  I pray that God will fulfill your hopes today. Keep watching for the answers to come...He is working...even when the sky looks cloudy and dark...watch for the rainbow of His promise to appear. He has not forgotten you!

"He Watches ME..." ...(WE)

Can you see the owl in this picture?  If you can, then you are a pretty wise "owl observer"

For those of you who have followed my blog for a while you will know that I have had this "relationship" with the Barred Owls in my backyard and also remarkably in my father's backyard. My Owl Story ,"The Last Farewell"  (check on these links for the stories...)

Well, now we are getting ready to move away from this home and my backyard visitors...and I am kind of sad about that.  I have watched these owls raise their babies, listened to them call to each other in the night and in the day, ("Who- who -who cooks for youuuuuu????"), witnessed their love-wooing, (sometimes quite passionate and somewhat hysterical in tone)  and have had many a long conversation with them, or at least a "stare-down" with them. (I stare at them, and they stare at me...I've always wondered what they were thinking while watching me watching them).  It has been a remarkable friendship from the very beginning.  No doubt about it, they have been the highlight of our sojourn in this community...actually the only "friends" we have had here in the five years we have lived in this particular house! That may sound strange, but that should tell you that it has not been a super friendly neighborhood, at least not in the human sense.

So, we are moving on...and already we are making new (human) friends in our new neighborhood and we haven't even moved in yet!  But I truly am going to miss my owl friends. They have comforted me when I was grieving, they have entertained us and our guests with their antics...we have marveled at their amazing acts of parenting in raising their young ones...it has been a uniquely wonderful experience.  (Check out "The Things I see Outside My Open Window" page on this blog)

The other evening I was washing up the supper dishes and looking out my kitchen window up at the treetops, and there right before me was one of our owl friends, perched on a very small branch perfectly balanced, and I promise you I am not exaggerating, he was literally watching my every move.  I quickly turned out the light in the kitchen so I could see him better, and he never took his eyes off of me.  He sat there for a very long time, and I took advantage of the opportunity to capture a picture, although sadly it was getting too dark and I didn't have the telephoto lens on to bring him up closer, but that's ok...I have the memory of the moment engrained in my mind.  It was as if he was coming to pay his last respects to me since I am going away...it was a special moment.

Ok, you can call me crazy if you want, and you won't be far off...but I appreciated the salute from my old friend.  Actually, I just heard him calling his mate again a few minutes ago...(this is the time of year that they are most likely watching their nestling...the mating time has already taken place...and they take turns guarding the nest, which is nearby).  I will miss hearing their calls and cackles in the night...even though they sometimes sounded a bit eery and loud right outside my bedroom window in the wee hours.  I will miss watching them train their offspring to fly and hunt...BUT, we ARE moving farther into the forest....so I am hoping they have spread the word to their cousins in the treetops to watch out for us and come pay us a visit in our new "Camp in the Woods" house.   I'll be listening and watching...and I'll be sure to let you know when they do!!

So, for now, I say so long to my fine feathered friends...and also say, "Thanks for the memories"...

The Owls have taught me a lesson by their example here...it corresponds with what Jesus was teaching His disciples in Matthew 6:25-28a,  and I want to share it with you now:

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry ....?"

I know that God watches over the owls and the birds of the air and beasts of the field (and woods),  and as the late singer Ethel Waters used to remind us at every Billy Graham crusade back in the "olden days", "His Eye is on The Sparrow, and I know He watches me!"  Ethel Waters singing "His Eye is On the Sparrow", Ethel Waters-at Billy Graham Crusade 1965

So I don't need to worry about my owl friends, nor do I need to worry about my own future...God is watching me....or as Ethel says at the very end of her song ..."I know He's watching 'WE'".... You and me!
Now that's something to remember!!!!

"What's My Line?"

My cousin Barb Moss from Iowa wrote a wonderful poem and a "laundry list" about the rules for hanging out the laundry, based on her mother's example and washday memories from her childhood.  That stirred up similar memories from my childhood...and by the looks of her email responses, it did the same for many of the recipients of her message.  It was so well written, I asked her permission to reprint it here for you as well...so here goes:

Written by Barb Moss:

"Remembering Mom's Clothesline: There is one thing that's left out. We had a long wooden pole (clothes pole) that was used to push the clotheslines up so that longer items (sheets/pants/etc.) didn't brush the ground and get dirty.  You have to be a "certain age" to appreciate this one....  (But you YOUNGER ones can read about "The GOOD ol' days"!!)" 

"I can hear my mother now.....

THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES:  (If you don't even know what clotheslines are, better skip this.) 

1. You had to hang the socks by the toes... NOT the top. 
2. You hung pants by the BOTTOM/cuffs... NOT the waistbands. 
3. You had to WASH the clothesline(s) before hanging any clothes - walk the entire length of each line with a damp cloth around the lines. 
4. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first. 
5. You NEVER hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail! What would the neighbors think? 
6. Wash day on a Monday! NEVER hang clothes on the weekend, or on Sunday, for Heaven's sake! 
7. Hang the sheets and towels on the OUTSIDE lines so you could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!) 
8. It didn't matter if it was sub-zero weather... clothes would "freeze-dry." 
9. ALWAYS gather the clothes pins when taking down dry clothes! Pins left on the lines were "tacky"! 
10. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the clothes pins with  the next washed item. 
11. Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed. 
12. IRONED???!! Well, that's a whole OTHER subject! "

"And now a POEM ...

A clothesline was a news forecast,

To neighbors passing by, 

There were no secrets you could keep,

When clothes were hung to dry. 

It also was a friendly link,

For neighbors always knew

  If company had stopped on by,

To spend a night or two. 

For then you'd see the "fancy sheets",

And towels upon the line; 

You'd see the "company table cloths",

With intricate designs. 

The line announced a baby's birth,

From folks who lived inside, 

As brand new infant clothes were hung,

So carefully with pride! 

The ages of the children could,

So readily be known 

By watching how the sizes changed,

You'd know how much they'd grown! 

It also told when illness struck,

As extra sheets were hung; 

Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe too,

Haphazardly were strung. 

It also said, "On vacation now",

When lines hung limp and bare. 

It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged,

With not an inch to spare! 

New folks in town were scorned upon,

If wash was dingy and gray, 

As neighbors carefully raised their brows,

And looked the other way. 

But clotheslines now are of the past,

For dryers make work much less. 

Now what goes on inside a home,

Is anybody's guess! 

I really miss that way of life,

It was a friendly sign 

When neighbors knew each other best...

By what hung out on that line."

One reason this has struck such a cord with me is that we are in the process of.....you may have already guessed it...MOVING... and, we are moving further out into the country...actually, out into the forest...and one of the first things I noticed about our new home (it is actually an older home) is that it has a clothesline! It's a little saggy and rusty looking right now, but one of my first outdoor projects when we get settled is to string up new line on those poles and put it back into use!  I can't wait to hang my sheets out on  the line to dry and then fall into that wonderful fresh off the line linen fragranced bed that I so long for!  Ahhhh!!! I can almost smell it now...can't you?

Yes, the secret is out...we are moving to what I would call our "Camp in the Woods" house sometime very soon.  Right now we are in the process of making some needed "improvements" to make it more habitable for our family...and that process will continue on for a loooooooooong time...but it is going to be a fun project house...with nature all around...so you can look forward to hearing more about "the view from my new open window" in upcoming articles.  This is the "giant leap of faith" I've been alluding to...and a big part of my one word resolution of "HOPE" for 2012...so please continue to stay tuned as the adventure begins!

Oh, and why not go string out a clothesline in YOUR backyard today?  You would actually become a part of a very popular "green" movement that is taking storm across the nation...just google "clothes on a clothesline" and see what all pops up. I was amazed!  I'm joining a "green" movement...aren't you proud of me? 

Ahhhh...I can almost smell that fresh linen right now....

"A Future and a Hope"

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

This week is going to begin a new chapter, or a new "OPEN WINDOW" in our lives.  I can hardly wait to turn the page and start reading about the new adventure that God is preparing for our family.  I won't go into the details right now, but I can assure you it is going to be fun, challenging, exciting, interesting, miraculous, and amazing!  The reason I can't share all of the details is because they have not all been revealed to me as of yet...but knowing how God has worked in our lives in the past, I am quite certain it is going to be a joyful and exhilarating journey (most of the time). 

So, dear blogger follower, please stay tuned in and keep watching for news.  And also, please keep us in your prayers...it always helps to have a lot of prayer support when starting any new adventure!

"Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road

in the wilderness,

And rivers in the desert."

Isaiah 43:18-19

Remember, "HOPE" is my one word for 2012...

and my "HOPE" is in the Lord...

I will not be disappointed.

What new window of opportunity is God opening in YOUR life this week? Better pay attention...He may be ready to show you something new and wonderful any day now!



MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS...

"My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus' Name.

Chorus:

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil.

(Chorus)

His oath, His covenant, His blood

Support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my hope and stay.

(Chorus)

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found,

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne!

(Chorus:)

On CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand!"

(Edward Mote ~ 1797-1874)

(One of my favorite old hymns of the faith...)

HOPE...

my "one word resolution" for 2012

You may ask me why I chose this word as my "one-word" resolution for 2012?

Because...

My hope is in the Lord..."On CHRIST the SOLID ROCK I stand...

All other ground IS sinking sand...

One morning this past week, after I had announced in my previous post that "HOPE" was my "ONE WORD" resolution for 2012,

I heard the following song on the radio on my way to work...and that was a confirmation that I had made the right choice to focus on "HOPE" for this year.  And then as a further confirmation, I heard the same song again that same day on my way home from work!   Does God ever talk to you that way? He does to me...frequently...through songs, scripture, other people, special little ways...some obvious, and some not so obvious unless I am paying attention...

Maybe God wants you to put YOUR hope in Him for 2012 as well...no matter what the storms or droughts or doubts or fears...Put your complete trust and hope in His unfailing grace...

"My Hope Is In You" by Aaron Shust  (click on link to hear this song)

This is my reminder from God's Word today regarding "HOPE":

"My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge, is in GOD.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us."

Psalm 62:5-8 NKJV

Is YOUR HOPE in the Lord????

I "HOPE" it is!!!!



One Word for 2012

Can you find "HOPE" in the midst of this confusion?

HOPE

A challenge has been given by several of my blogging friends to choose one word for 2012 as a type of "New Year's Resolution"...(see http://www.recoveringchurchlady.com/ for example), and so that got me to thinking about what word I would (or should) select for 2012.  My first thought was "faith", in keeping with my previous post about "Giant Leaps of Faith" into the new year(see "Giant Leaps of Faith" )...but another word kept coming to the forefront in my mind...and that was "HOPE".  Obviously, Faith and Hope go together...along with their favored sister, "Love"...(see I Corinthians 13:13), but HOPE was the word that stood out to me all through the Christmas season...and I am still clinging to it. 

Look at the picture above, which is a rather blurred view of a magnification of our Christmas tree.  I would have taken a better photo for this occasion, but we took the tree down yesterday and put it away with all of its trimmings, including the "HOPE" ornament that was so pronounced to me all through the days of Christmas.  Can you find the word "HOPE" in the midst of the blurred confusion of bright lights, tangled tree branches, and the shiny ornaments on the tree?  That's kind of the way life is, you know...a blurred confusion of bright lights, tangled dreams, and shining distractions that tend to draw us away from our "HOPE"... but in Christ we have the  "HOPE" that will not disappoint..."Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us..."  (Read Romans 5:1-6)


"HOPE" is one of the most frequently used words in the Bible...if you have a concordance just look up the word "HOPE"  and see how many references there are...and every scripture gives "HOPE"...   Hope in God when I am afraid, Hope in His promises when I have lost my way, Hope in His mercy when I don't think I can stand any more disappointments or sorrows, Hope in His love and His tender compassion,  Hope in the joy that He expresses on my behalf, Hope in the future that He has planned for my life... "HOPE" in the eternal life that He has promised through faith in His Son Jesus Christ...

"Blessed is the man (woman) who trusts in the LORD, and whose "HOPE"  is in the Lord.  For he (she) shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."  (Psalm 17:7-8)

"And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My HOPE is in YOU."  Psalm 39:7

So, I ask you, what is YOUR one word for 2012?  Do you need "HOPE"?  I will be very happy to share this word with you... "HOPE" IN GOD...HE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU!

Giant Leaps of Faith into The New Year

"The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.  the Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." Psalm 121:5-8

Have you ever taken "a giant leap of faith" and then second guessed yourself, had doubts and fears, and shaky knees?  I think that all goes along with the "giant leaping of faith" part...the shaky knees, the doubts, and the fears, the wondering whether or not you made the right decision or if you really heard the Lord correctly when you thought you heard Him say,

"This is the way, walk in it,"..."Whenever you turn to the right hand, or whenever you turn to the left."  Isaiah 30:21

Looking back over my life I can honestly say that we took some pretty big leaps of faith, when all the world around us was wondering what on earth had possessed us to make such huge changes and embark on what appeared to them to be a foolish journey into the unknown.  In hindsight, we have sometimes questioned whether or not we had actually made the right decision, or if we perhaps had acted precipitously instead of waiting on the Lord to guide us aright.  We've scratched our heads and retraced our steps to be certain that we had not been mistaken.  And yet, every time we had to come back and say, "yes, we did what we believed was God's will, and we acted in faith upon that inner prompting of our hearts that said, "This is the way..walk in it..."

As we approach another new year we look ahead with some fear and trepidation at what path we are to choose.  We could opt to stay where it is safe and warm and never venture out into the "unknown"...we could say, "I like my safe little cocoon, even when it appears to be shriveling up around me and drying up and dissolving in thin air"... and we could choose to just keep holding on to that fragile little leaf and refuse to let go and open up our wings and fly away like the beautiful butterfly God intended us to be.  But at what cost?  If the butterfly larvae refused to let go of it's cocoon, would it ever be a butterfly?  No, it would die on the vine, and never see the world of beauty in each flower of the field that was meant to provide nourishment for its journey.  It would never feel the joy of freedom of stretching out its wings and flying away into the bright sunny days of summer and reaching its destiny for life.

I don't know about you, but I really want to trust God to take me wherever He deems best...to lead me in the way of His plan for my life.  I want to look back on my life someday and say, "Thank you, Lord,  for leading me in the way everlasting...for allowing me the joy of experiencing all You had planned for me.  Thank you for helping me to take those giant leaps of faith into Your wonderful place of peace."  Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?  WHERE WILL YOUR GIANT LEAP OF FAITH TAKE YOU THIS YEAR?

TRUST GOD...HE WILL NOT LEAD YOU ASTRAY.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Blessings from "My Three Sons" and "Santa's Workshop and Bakeshop"

This year Santa's elves have been quite busy here at the Steiner house...while one son was in the kitchen baking Sand Tarts from the old family recipe, another son was in the garage building a special shelf for our living room, to finish off the earlier project of a shelf unit that he built to house the components for the new flat screen TV that was also a Christmas gift to the family. 

My son Benton, in "Ben's Country Woodshop", making a special gift for us this Christmas too!





The antique door knobs came from my Dad's workshop, and
also the bookends with the gun handles were built by my Dad
quite a few years ago as a Christmas gift to my husband, who
was a State Trooper at the time.  The china plate in the
middle is one of our wedding gifts, the owl represents my
"Barred Owls" in our backyard and was a gift from my sister
Doris last year.  The ducks were gifts from a friend, and
I forget where the quail came from, but it finishes out
the collection of birds and special things....



 The thing that makes this shelf so special is not only the fact that our son made it himself, but he used special tools that he got from my Dad (his Grandpa's) workshop after Grandpa passed on to be with the Lord earlier this year. To finish off the shelf he attached three antique china doorknobs that also came from Grandpa's workshop.    

Our son Matthew (r) and his wife Nicole and our Grandson, Noah

I am blessed beyond measure...the gift from our other son, who lives in Maine and could not be here for this Christmas with us, is the fact that God has granted him another year of precious life.  He has been battling a rare cancer for the past almost two years, and every day that God gives him is a gift.  He recently had a biopsy of a growth that was giving great cause for concern for fear that the cancer was spreading to other parts of the body...and the wonderful, marvelous news this week was that there was NO sign of cancer in that growth.  Although the cancer is not completely gone from his body, it is not showing any signs of growth, and so we give God praise for this wonderful gift.

Myriads of "Heavenly Hosts" of angels...Praising God and Singing Hallelujah!!!

Grandma Mursch’s Sand Tarts

(Elva Hill Mursch )

(My Paternal Grandmother)
December 27, 1896-December 16, 1984

My Grandma Mursch always made these Sand Tart cookies for Christmas. They are from a wonderful old German recipe. In 1980 Grandma passed this recipe on to me so I could make it for my family. The first Christmas I made them, I wasn’t sure how many the whole recipe would make, and I needed a good cookie for the church cookie swap. My mother-in-law, Vivian Steiner, helped me roll and cut and bake the doubled - whole recipe, and we soon found out that it made about 18 dozen cookies! That was quite a task! I only needed 13 dozen for the cookie swap, and I was chagrined to discover that I was the only one who had gone to the trouble of baking a rolled and cut cookie for this event!

From then on, I usually only baked the Half Recipe, and it made more than enough cookies for our family and to share with others! As the years went on, I eventually taught our son, Scott, how to make these cookies so that he could continue the tradition. For the past few years he has baked these cookies as his Christmas gift to the family!  HERE IS A PICTURE OF SCOTT, WHO CAME BACK HOME THIS YEAR, AND IS BACK TO MAKING THE SAND TARTS FOR THE FAMILY AGAIN FOR CHRISTMAS!  THANK YOU SCOTT!!!!!

The secret to a good Sand Tart is to be sure to roll the dough real thin before cutting the cookies. The thinner cookies are crispier and tastier. Just be sure not to burn them! Also, for the brushed on glaze of egg wash, you need two egg yolks and about a tablespoon of milk mixed together to cover the ½ recipe. I buy the pre-sliced almonds to put on top. Use about two tablespoons of white sugar to one teaspoon of cinnamon mixed together in a shaker (I use a salt shaker) to sprinkle on the tops.

This recipe is a keeper…and should be passed down from generation to generation!

Sand Tarts

(Yield 8-9 dozen) (This is the Half Recipe)

Mix Together:

• 1 ¼ lb. Butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 lbs. Brown Sugar

Then add 2 lb. Flour

Roll real thin and cut with cookie cutters. Brush tops with yolk of egg beaten with a little milk. Put a sliced almond on top and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

My Son Scott carrying on the family tradition of making Sand Tarts at Christmas (2011)

Enjoy!

THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF MY CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS THIS YEAR.  I THANK THE LORD FOR ANSWERED PRAYER IN SO MANY WAYS....BEHIND THE SCENES OF THESE PICTURES THERE ARE BIGGER AND BETTER STORIES TO BE TOLD...AND I GIVE GOD PRAISE.

HAVE YOU STOPPED TO THANK GOD FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS THIS YEAR?

The BEST GIFT OF ALL!!!

Dim Reflections

"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." I Corinthians 13:12

(click on the picture to enlarge)

The other day I was looking toward the mirror hanging on the wall in my bedroom, and I happened to notice that the vision in the mirror was actually a dim reflection of the items on my vanity on the opposite wall, and then if you look into the image of the mirror on the vanity you can see a reflection of the items on the other wall, which are placed on a table directly under the original mirror. It created such an interesting picture that I had to try and capture it on film, the results of which are shown above. 

Confusing? Perhaps a little, but to me it was a picture not just of things that I treasured in my room, but a reminder of how we look at God now from our current vantage point.  Our vision is dim, marred by the clutter of things of this world and viewed with our very one-dimensional vision.  We try to look beyond the things that we can see clearly, and peer longingly into the fuzzy future that we can only begin to imagine with our limited sight, and once in a while we get a glimpse of the true picture, but most of the time it is something that we just have to contemplate and trust that our hopes and ideals will one day become reality.

The scripture from which I quoted above is the 13th Chapter of I Corinthians, also known as "the Love Chapter", one of my favorite passages in the New Testament. It speaks to us about how we as believers need to remember that no matter how knowledgeable we may think we are, how talented and gifted we may be, or how sacrificially charitable we are to the poor and needy, if we don't have love, we are nothing.  It is a reminder to us that all of our great talents, knowledge, gifts and sacrifices will one day cease to exist, but love will never fail.

Verses 8-11 says:

"Love never fails.  But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.  When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

Verse 12 tells us that at the present time we are looking at God and our relationship to Him with human eyes that are illuminated only very dimly at best.  One day, when we ultimately reach our heavenly destination, we will see Him face to face.  Right now we only understand a very small part of His vast plan for our lives, both in the present and the future. When we get to heaven we will know Him completely, just as He already knows us now. The veil will finally be stripped away and all things will become clear to us.  All the questions that we said we would ask God as soon as we reached heaven's gate will be understood...there will be no need to even ask. 

The thing that God wants us to understand for now is this: (Verse 13)

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Perhaps that is enough for us to know.

Perseverance Anyone? Need Hope? How About Character? (Updated this morning after sleeping on it)

These are some thoughts running through my mind tonight and I wanted to share them with you. Maybe you will see yourself in these verses...

• "Therefore, having been justfied by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
• Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
• And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
• And perseverance, character;
• And character, hope.
• Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
• For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
• For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
• But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

       Romans 5: 1-8

My Interpretation: 



Anyone here wanting to learn perseverance?  Expect tribulations. - You will run into obstacles in life...stub your toe, see dead-ends and unexpected detours...but God is in the pathway...He's guiding each step and leading you to persevere during the tough times.
    Want character?  Learn perseverance from your tribulations and you will develop character.  "When the going gets tough...the tough get going" (who said that?)  Old houses are said to have character because they have interesting knicks and scrapes...unusual architecture weathered by many storms...bannisters and floors scuffed by many years of hands and feet running to and fro, up and down, perhaps even having had children sliding down the bannisters...revealing a beautiful patina to the wood and smoother surfaces...
         Need hope?  Develop character once you've learned perseverance through the experience of tribulations.  Life's experiences give us hope for the future as we remember how God provided in the past.
            Once you have hope...you will not be disappointed..."because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
                And remember this:  Before you were made strong by your tribulations and perseverance and character development...before the Holy Spirit was given to you...Christ died for you...while you were yet a sinner, without a hope in the world...Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, God in the flesh, showed His magnificent and immense love for us by dying in our place...taking our sin upon His own body...the pure and holy sacrificed for the stained and unholy. 

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"  I John 3:1

"When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of Glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God;

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down--

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all."

Amen.

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

I John 3:1

Jesus Christ, The same, Yesterday, Today and Forever...reaching out in love to you and me each day.

Now that brings great hope!!